Wisconsin Voters Report Receiving Robocalls Telling Them Not To Vote

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From Eau Claire to Beloit, voters across Wisconsin are relaying stories via Twitter, Facebook and online message boards about anonymous “robocalls” from allies of Scott Walker, telling them–incorrectly–that if they signed petitions to recall Governor Walker, their vote in today’s crucial election has been recorded.

An NBC reporter tweeted that a family friend was one recipient of the call:

@Synergy3k: Dad just emailed, a WI friend of his got the ‘If you signed the petition you don’t have to vote tomorrow’ robocall #wirecall

Tom Barrett, the mayor of Milwaukee and the Democratic nominee to unseat Governor Scott Walker, told MSNBC host Ed Schultz last night that his campaign began receiving complaints yesterday that voters had been contacted with the misinformation. This morning, Salon reported on the robocalls too, and included comments from Carol Gibbons, a Wisconsin resident who got the call herself. And a local CBS affiliate is even reporting that the caller sounds eerily similar to Tom Barrett, suggesting the group behind the call may have hired a Barrett impersonator.

So far no recording of the call has surfaced, but the reports from voters was enough to prompt the Barrett campaign to make calls of its own, warning voters not to listen to the first call. For its part, the Walker campaign denied any involvement in or knowledge of the robocall or who was behind it.

Election day antics were a near certainty in Wisconsin. In the last week, reports of other campaign antics surfaced, including an attempt by Walker supporters to disable the Barrett campaign’s phone lines by flooding their call centers with spam phone calls.

In one article I read, it stated the DOJ was watching the election closely. Well I think it is time that the DOJ investigated the complaints of robocalls telling people they didn't need to vote if they signed the recall petition. Maybe Walker's campaign didn't have knowledge of it, but it wouldn't surprise me if the Koch brothers or another backroom boy knew about it or organised it.

Robocalls like this are clearly election fraud and need to be swiftly and strongly dealt with to the full extent of the law.

The Republican dirty tricks squad may have started with the Watergate Hotel and Daniel Ellsberg's psychiatrist's office breakins in the 1970's but continues unabashedly today with their voter suppression eforts..

Republicians can not have fair election!!!!!!!!!, walker needs to be paying for his crimes NOT running and destroying a state!!!!!!!. We need to fight HARDER!!!!!!, WE ARE GOING TO HAVE A LOT OF election fraud in this major election, how can anyone vote for a PURE EVIL DEVIL?????????!!!!!!!!!!????????. How can human beings be monsters. in the bible it says "somewhere........look it up......there are those that look like men act like man ........BUT ARE BRUTE BEASTS MADE TO BE TAKEN AND DESTORYED....look it up it is there i may have some wrong but it is there. Fits a lot of these cold,heartless republicians,"right"??. I mean people who hate and do not want to help poor, disabled,elderly there is NOTHING to them, there are not human, I would never ever vote for ANY of these republicians today. Diana.

Dirty politics from the republicans who are waging a war on women and families? So what else is new. That's just business as usual for them. At every opportunity vote the republicans out of office in every state.

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Beth is a freelance writer and editor living in the Rocky Mountain West. So far, Beth has lived in or near three major U.S. mountain ranges, and is passionate about protecting the important ecosystems they represent. Follow Beth on Twitter as @ecosphericblog or check out her blog. less